Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Questions, Chapters 30/31

How can James possibly not get the picture now?! SHE WAS ANGRY! DUH?!?! (Jewels paraphrasing)

For about twenty minutes, I think James was seriously considering the possibility that Lily was jealous. Then, Carlotta tells him about Shelley, and he begins to think that maybe that--combined with the whole NOT TELLING thing--was what pissed Lily off.
 "I suppose that explains a few things..." "Unexpected reactions..." etc.
I know we didn't really get into James's POV, which is sad, but there will be more from him in Chapter 31. And, for those of you furious with him right now, he's going to try to... square himself with everyone.

Why is Carlotta being so un-Carlotta-y? (Not being her usual carefree self)
Because she's in an un-Carlotta-y situation. More on that later.

Will Lily and Sirius get their chat?
I would say so.

More Sirius?
Sirius gets ANGST in the next chapter! I LOVE SIRIUS ANGST! Because, of course, he did sort of almost kill a guy at the end of last year, and there might be some lingering consequences. But he'll also be bonding and nicknaming and just being his wonderful cuddly self.
James also gets non-girl related angst! YAY! Which only adds to his girl related drama, which is going to be a  bit of a handful.

What's Shelley's plan?
Carlotta delenda est.

WTF, Stebbins?
A bit more an explanation on this in the future. Although, I should note that the train hook up was not intended to be the first between Mary and Stebbins.

"I was wondering how you constructed this chapter? Did you think of where everyone was an then piece it together, or did you start from one POV and then weave everyone else's throughout?"
-Off Dreaming


This whole chapter was built in my head around the platform scene. I wanted Lily to realize that she fancies James on Platform Nine and Three Quarters, JUST BEFORE she finds out about Carlotta. But I also wanted that to be at the end of the chapter, since it's kind of the dramatic high point, even though it, logically, should go right at the beginning. My original plan was to write the chapter backwards, beginning with the girls lamenting their terrible day in the dormitory, and then going back to Lily and James in the corridor after the Head meeting, and then back to the Head meeting, and then to supper, etc... "Memento" style. But that wouldn't work unless I ONLY wrote the Lily/James storyline. I wouldn't be able to do any of the other stories that needed to be done in this chapter.
So I sorted out everything that needed to happen in this chapter for each character. All of the threads were written in different documents, and basically I just wrote the story five different ways. But then some stuff got a little tricky--I couldn't remember where I had put Shelley or at what points what compartments were vacant... so I made the timeline that appears in the post below. Basically, I took five stories and stapled wove them together. 


Will James's relationship with Lily be different now that he is with Carlotta?
Yes. It was already a LITTLE different in Chapters 28 and 29, but the severity of James's less suggestive (even less teasing) self was diminished by the fact that I'm pretty sure they were eye-fucking that whole day. So how much will James change towards Lily in light of puppy killing? Somewhat. But the unresolved sexual tension is still there, and that's sticking around.


Will James as half of James/Lily be different than James as half of the puppy killers?
Sure. Being with Lily would mean something completely different to James than being with Carlotta.


What's your tumblr?
itatemyhand.tumblr.com
(never saw that coming, did ya?!)


Who do you relate most to?
Lol, all of them. Okay, that's not a very good answer. I just felt very close to Lily this chapter for some reason, but also Donna, because I just KNOW people like Charlie Plex and I want to strangle them. 
I actually really related to Marlene, though, because about a week after I wrote the Marlene/Carlotta convo, I found myself in a very similar situation... having someone for whom I don't have a lot of respect (who may or may not be the Icarus Frop inspiration, AHEM) baring his soul and looking for advice. And you can't be like, "You're better than this," because... they're not. It's really difficult trying to be honest, nice, and helpful, when a total misogynist is claiming that he was the sweetest boyfriend in the world, and it's just not faaaair that this girl dumped him.  




So... what can you tell us about Chapter 31?


Lily is getting a pen pal.


Donna will invent new and creative ways to avoid talking to Madam Keepdown.


Remus will ask his question from the train. 


Dumbledore approves of ships that don't kill puppies.






Love,
Jules

79 comments:

  1. Lily and Sirius as pen pals! But in secret.
    Or just Sam.

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  2. Dumbledore's a shipper! that snippet mad eme laugh

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  3. Man. I think I completely missed something. Carlotta killed a puppy? Why do I not remember this??

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  4. "Dumbledore approves of ships that don't kill puppies."
    First of all, fuck yes for old wise men.
    Second, can I just say Walter Bishop would also approve.

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  5. December 16, 2010 7:10 PM
    Anonymous said...
    I think that if James and Carlotta were to sleep together, I'd have to shoot a puppy. A really cute puppy. And I like puppies. A lot. So, I really hope it won't come to that >_<

    And thus was born the name "Puppy Killers" for all James/Carlotta related things.

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  6. @The Walter Bishop Citing Anonymous,
    Although, sadly, Dumbledore will be nowhere near as hardcore as Walter.

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  7. Alright, confusion over.

    Although, honestly, the thought of Carlotta accidentally killing a puppy at some point in time makes total and complete sense in my mind.

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  8. Does this then mean that Dumbledore disapproves of ships that kill puppies?

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  9. I doubt he has any opinion on that whatsoever. Lol, he's just going to do something that is going to mean Lily and James will be spending more time together.

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  10. like making pancakes and inviting lily over for breakfast under false pretenses? I know you said he wouldn't be as hardcore as Walter, but come on, that would be fantastic : )
    Also, OMG YES LETS MARRY AND RUN AWAY AND JUST WATCH FRINGE ALL THE TIME.
    except for when you're writing. I wouldn't want to interfere with that.

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  11. How different will Lily be from (pre-Logan) Luke. Will she still be that cautious to jump in to love? Because James and Lily's dynamic will obviously be different, but how will different will her attitude toward this relationship be?

    Also I really hope Sam is the pen pal. Yay for Remus being able to ask his question. I think I have a good guess on what it will be.

    And Dumbledore is a genius so this isn't too surprising that he sees this before they do.

    And btw I don't think I say thank you enough for giving me something this awesome to obsess over :)

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  12. @12:59,
    OMG I DIED. There were legit candles on that breakfast table. Everything is Walter and nothing hurts.
    Also, "Purple never goes out of style." TOTALLY APPLICABLE.


    @Lindsay,
    Is your question, how different will Lily/James be than Lily/Luke?
    Very very very very very different.
    How different will Lily's attitude towards the relationship be?
    Very very very very very different.
    Is she still going to be cautious about the L-Word situation?
    That'll be complicated. =)

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  13. "That'll be complicated." You are such a shameless tease.

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  14. I hate Carlotta. Not just because of James, but in re-reading all of her scenes in the chapters I realized she's just a crap person in general. I hope you know that reading part one not only killed puppies, but all the happy thoughts in my head. No more rainbows and fluffy kittens... You're so cruel.


    p.s. This is sarcastic. You aren't a cruel kitten killer, but really you are because Carlotta is the spawn of Satan and I hate her. UGH. This causes me angst!!

    Do you think you'd do a chapter like this, but with all the guy's POVs? I think that would be cool. Especially with Sirius, James, and Reg. I love Reg. He's so clueless sometimes :)

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  15. Wait, I need definite confirmation. Jules, did James andCarlotta have sex or are we still suppose to wonder?

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  16. Dumbledore has spoken.

    Game over, Carlotta.

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  17. @1:18 oh yeah they did. Puppies were massacred that night.

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  18. I wouldn't have minded if there was a J/C sex scene from James's pov... maybe with him thinking about something else entirely during the act :D

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  19. "James knelt on the floor, already in his night clothes, as he fumbled through his trunk for something. He looked up upon Carlotta's entrance and smiled, but there was something—something just not right in his expression."

    I'm curious- if James was contemplating Lily's jealousy before carlotta's arrival, then what was he searching for?...

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  20. I think something was done to the puppies of the world in that beach scene as well.

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  21. "they were eye-fucking that whole day"

    ^ That really made me laugh and created really strange images in my head. Lol.

    And yes, I'm also guessing Sam will be the pen pal. The only people who Lily will need to correspond with (other than her mum, obviously) are Sam and Alice or Frank. And Lily corresponding with Frank or Alice isn't exactly unexpected or even that interesting. So, yeah, Sam.

    UNLESS her penpal is anonymous- in which case it could be someone IN Hogwarts. But, no, still leaning towards Sam.

    Speaking of - will Donna be getting a new pen pal as well? =] I'm shipping Donna/Lathe so hard right now, which is weird 'cos I NEVER ship OC/OC, 'cos I usually don't care about OCs; but Donna is fierce and Lathe is awesome and sometimes I actually forget they're OCs =]

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  22. LOL @ 1.30. That would be funny, but I don't think even Carlotta deserves that.

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  23. @ Underbabe

    Really? I hope not. I thought that puppies might have been... kicked in that scene but nothing more.

    I think it's a little beneath James to have sex with a girl on a beach who wasn't even his girlfriend yet. I'd be disappointed in him.

    Justine

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  24. Oi! Any chance the penpal is Luke?

    The first person that popped into my head was Sam... but I don't know... I think it would be a really interesting twist if it was...

    Oh, Donna. I can't wait to see what she is up to next!

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  25. @ 1:42 Lol, I think there's a whole story on Lily being secret pen-pal with James :D

    @Justine I think I'm remembering a diffrent post in which that scene was mentioned.. but I THINK something was alluded to..not sure though.

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  26. No, they didn't have sex on the beach. That is one of those things that may sound like a good idea, but just isn't.

    Lol, and Lily's penpal is not anonymous.

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  27. Actualy no don't tell us! Lol, I want to be surprised.

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  28. They've totally killed puppies. Carlotta sleeps in James' bed while borrowing some pajamas from him. Big clue. And yo, what else do you do with Carlotta Meloni?

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  29. OMG Jules, AMAZING chapter! So many questions though! (feel free to tell me to fuck off for so many questions if it's going to spoil too much)

    Was that the first time Mary and Stebbins said "I love you?"

    "We're seventeen. Of course we're a public display type of couple." "They're seventeen. Of course they will." Does this mean J/L will be a PDA type couple too?

    Does Adam have more than 1 sister? B/c he met Prudence (or got together with Prudence) at his sisters wedding, but at the protest (which would have been after the wedding) she was introduced as Sarah McKinnon, no new last name.

    When Adam and Donna are talking, he asks about the Marauders and Donna thinks she mis-interprets the situation, is Adam jealous of Marlene spending a lot of time with the Marauders?

    Just want to point out that Donna owled Lathe instead of Kingsley, who would have been just as effective as getting the aurors to come....but late comment, but still, Donna chose to contact lover boy Lathe

    Who does lily consider to be her best friend? I've thought Marlene, especially now they are kind of going through the same boy-issues (even though Lily hasn't confided in the girls about her new found appreciation for James)

    Also, I think the penpal is Sam. Jules mentioned that he comes up again.

    Once again, AMAZING chapter! I've read it multiple times already, and when I have down time, I read it on my phone.

    -Sarah

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  30. What else do you do with Carlotta Meloni?
    Um... discuss Aristotelian philosophy, DUH!

    Was that the first "I love you?"
    No, they said it over the summer. I BELIEVE Mary tells this to Marlene in one of them chapters... 27, maybe?

    Will J/L be a PDA couple?
    Wait and see =D

    Does Adam have more than 1 sister?
    He has three. Sarah did not get married (although, and this was never explained, she DID go to the wedding, but returned earlier than the rest of her family).

    When Adam and Donna are talking, he asks about the Marauders and Donna thinks she misinterprets the situation. Is Adam jealous of Marlene spending a lot of time with the Marauders?

    No. He's trying to bring up Marlene but is failing epically.

    Who does Lily consider to be her best friend?
    I'd say, at this point in the story, it's a Marlene-Donna tie. She's actually kind of wary of nominating just one. (See: Snape fiasco)

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  31. Wait, you have tumblr? Why didn't you tell us?

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  32. Will we see Sam again in a near future.

    Will Lily have another boyfriend during the school year just before James?

    I actually imagine Sirius and Lily going to at least one date together, James is shagging Carlotta after all.

    I always though Donna was Lily's best friend, but it's cool to see Donna bonding with Marlene and actually realizing she does have friends. Donna is to LAT what Joan is to Mad Men. And Lathe is hot so I hope he ends up with Donna.

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  33. i am so confused! i thought that james and carlotta did not have sex. yet. i mean i know Jules said that inevitably they will but i just thought they slept in the same bed.

    "Much later, when Carlotta had borrowed pajamas from James.."

    well i mean, i guess technically they still could have, but i dunno.

    Jules! Confirmation on all this, please! did they or did they not have sex?

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  34. BARF Sirius and Lily dating would make me stop reading.

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  35. Yeah, no Sirius/Lily dating. I just... no.

    Fucking love Joan on Mad Men. That woman is boss.

    Carlotta and James didn't hook up September 1st. That would've been awkward. But they've hooked up by this point, so regardless of what happened on the beach, when she got back from Italy, puppies died.

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  36. Lily is definitely Donna's best friend, but that doesn't mean Donna is necessarily Lily's best friend.

    Much later (after the sex) instead of putting her daytime clothes back on, she borrowed James pajamas

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  37. No! Tears, Jules. So many dead puppies. :(

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  38. Waaaait, I thought that "at least once a day [J/C had] to..."[bone]. If they're already breaking promises to each other they should probably just break up.

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  39. "Personally," Prudence continued, "I can't wait for N.E.W.T. level Arithmancy. I thought for certain I failed my O.W.L., but I scraped an 'O.'

    sounds like hermione

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  40. "I actually imagine Sirius and Lily going to at least one date together"

    ...

    :/

    Are you sure you ship Lily and James? Ditto 4:18, I would stop reading too. Unless it was a plan to get James jealous or something. But otherwise... no.

    James and Carlotta didn't get busy on 1st September? I had assumed they had. But I definitely figured they had when Carlotta got back from Italy... it was the 'most' that made me think so.

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  41. :O Sirius/Lily is possibly even more disturbing to me than Snape/Lily. It's just so wrong!!!

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  42. "Donna will invent new and creative ways to avoid talking to Madam Keepdown." -- Haha that bit shall be funny to read. I wonder how long she could avoid those talks before getting tricked or something into going to one.

    "Dumbledore approves of ships that don't kill puppies." " Lol, he's just going to do something that is going to mean Lily and James will be spending more time together." -- Very sly, Dumbledore!

    Hurrah for more Sirius! :D

    Marie

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  43. Ha, I knew J/L was Dumbledore's OTP....

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  44. The only dates that Sirius and Lily are allowed to go on are coffee dates. Because they're close friends and they enjoy talking to each other because their different outlooks on life are refreshing to each other.

    Also does anyone watch Criminal Minds? I'm watching it right now and there was a Doctor Who reference at the beginning. Made me think of all of you!

    -Jenn

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  45. Once I read a fanfic that was clearly marked as a J/L story, where Sirius dated Lily even though he knew James was in love with her. Then Sirius dumped her and she tried to use James to get him back/make him jealous. It was terrible and utterly scarring.

    So, I too would have to stop reading if it ever came down to Sirius/Lily dating.

    Unless it was a just a hang out between friends and James *thought* it was something more. I also like a jealous James hehe ;)

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  46. Jules, an irrational part of me is really scared Dumbledore is going to make the head students plan some kind of Yule Ball/Halloween Masquerade. I know you are much, much better than that and that if you did write something like that it would be believable and awesome, but the prospect makes me nervous! Just please limit outfit descriptions to like 3 pages in Word, and if you could remember that Wizards and Witches wear dress robes, not tuxedos, this:

    http://www.momlogic.com/photos/photogalleries/slutty_dresses/6a.jpg

    or this:

    http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs32/f/2008/209/e/3/Gothic_dress__crushed_velvet_by_livia_drusilla.jpg

    PS. I for serious hope this works because I've tried to comment and say how happy the chapter made me, make witty comments and overall give you positive validation for your wonderful work but blogspot I think keeps deleting my posts. Unless for some reason they're hidden from me, but not other people? It's weird. You're fantastic. Reading about how Lily's emerald dress made her eyes look like magical jewels, so beautiful that James couldn't speak for 60 seconds after seeing her come down the staircase, is painful.

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  47. Jules, an irrational part of me is really scared Dumbledore is going to make the head students plan some kind of Yule Ball/Halloween Masquerade. I know you are much, much better than that and that if you did write something like that it would be believable and awesome, but the prospect makes me nervous! Just please limit outfit descriptions to like 3 pages in Word, and if you could remember that Wizards and Witches wear dress robes, not tuxedos, this:

    http://www.momlogic.com/photos/photogalleries/slutty_dresses/6a.jpg

    or this:

    http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs32/f/2008/209/e/3/Gothic_dress__crushed_velvet_by_livia_drusilla.jpg

    PS. I for serious hope this works because I've tried to comment and say how happy the chapter made me, make witty comments and overall give you positive validation for your wonderful work but blogspot I think keeps deleting my posts. Unless for some reason they're hidden from me, but not other people? It's weird. You're fantastic. Reading about how Lily's emerald dress made her eyes look like magical jewels, so beautiful that James couldn't speak for 60 seconds after seeing her come down the staircase, is painful.

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  48. Jules, an irrational part of me is really scared Dumbledore is going to make the head students plan some kind of Yule Ball/Halloween Masquerade. I know you are much, much better than that and that if you did write something like that it would be believable and awesome, but the prospect makes me nervous! Just please limit outfit descriptions to like 3 pages in Word, and if you could remember that Wizards and Witches wear dress robes, not tuxedos, this:

    http://www.momlogic.com/photos/photogalleries/slutty_dresses/6a.jpg

    or this:

    http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs32/f/2008/209/e/3/Gothic_dress__crushed_velvet_by_livia_drusilla.jpg

    PS. I for serious hope this works because I've tried to comment and say how happy the chapter made me, make witty comments and overall give you positive validation for your wonderful work but blogspot I think keeps deleting my posts. Unless for some reason they're hidden from me, but not other people? It's weird. You're fantastic. Reading about how Lily's emerald dress made her eyes look like magical jewels, so beautiful that James couldn't speak for 60 seconds after seeing her come down the staircase, is painful.

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  49. Jules, an irrational part of me is really scared Dumbledore is going to make the head students plan some kind of Yule Ball/Halloween Masquerade. I know you are much, much better than that and that if you did write something like that it would be believable and awesome, but the prospect makes me nervous! Just please limit outfit descriptions to like 3 pages in Word, and if you could remember that Wizards and Witches wear dress robes, not tuxedos, this:

    http://www.momlogic.com/photos/photogalleries/slutty_dresses/6a.jpg

    or this:

    http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs32/f/2008/209/e/3/Gothic_dress__crushed_velvet_by_livia_drusilla.jpg

    PS. I for serious hope this works because I've tried to comment and say how happy the chapter made me, make witty comments and overall give you positive validation for your wonderful work but blogspot I think keeps deleting my posts. Unless for some reason they're hidden from me, but not other people? It's weird. You're fantastic. Reading about how Lily's emerald dress made her eyes look like magical jewels, so beautiful that James couldn't speak for 60 seconds after seeing her come down the staircase, is painful.

    --Eliza (since blogspot hates my account, but I am posting, goddamnit!!)

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  50. How long do you all (besides, ahem, Jules, who knows everything already... and won't share... gosh) think James and Carlotta will last? Like... three months?

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  51. Hmm... I dunno. LILY and James are supposed to kiss by the end of this year... and that's in four months, since it's September...
    I dunno! Three months seems like tops for me.

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  52. Well I don't think James and Lily are going to kiss for a while after the Puppy Killers break up, just cause it would be so 'Carlotta' of them, so maybe two months.

    That's still too long for me, though.

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  53. Two months that the Puppy Killers are together, I mean.

    :(

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  54. I want them to kiss in November. Remember the whole November is a dreary month conversation... it will redeem November.

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  55. Yeah!!!! November!!!!!!!

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  56. Part of me wants Lily and James to kiss while James is still going out with Carlotta, even though that would make Lily just as bad as Carlotta with cause of the Frank-Alice thingie, and how Marlene said James isn't the type to cheat, but I don't care. It would just be perfect, in a weird way, and if you don't think about it. So yeah.

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  57. Jules said that wouldn't happen I thought. Lily isn't the type to kiss a guy with a girlfriend

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  58. I'm placing my bet on a break up on or around Halloween. But hopefully, there will be plenty of trouble in paradise before then. I won't be able to take fluffy j/c for more than a chapter.

    Justine

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  59. Can Shelley just kill Carlotta already?

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  60. Hi Jules,

    You never answered my question @ 1:37, is it of importance or am I overanalysing it a little(or lot) too much?

    Thanks,

    -annoying and thinks too much:p

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  61. Well they've already been going out 3 weeks, I don't see them topping 3 months, so we've got another 2 months to go? That would be around Halloween. I hope they break up because they have issues though. I don't really want James to break up with Carlotta just because he found out Lily has feelings for him. Even though it would be cheating, it wouldn't seem right/a great way to start off a true-love-never-ending-happily-ever-after-relationship.

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  62. I don't think it's going to last for more than 2 months. I'm kind of imagining Carlotta to be a needy-clingy girlfriend, considering how insecure she is now. The Marauders have too many secrets and I'm pretty sure it would spew a lot of problems. I'm with Justine. They'll probably break up around October but I want the kiss to happen in November. (JAMES NEEDS A REASON TO LOVE NOVEMBER.)

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  63. I'm not going to say whether or not THE KISS happens in November, but everyone is going to fucking hate November this year. Especially Adam.

    Which is sad, because I love November.

    What was James looking for in his trunk?
    Socks. Lol, no, it wasn't important... I just wanted him to be doing something.

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  64. Do they have to do daily group sharing with the psych healer throughout November? b/c that would be a reason to hate November...

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  65. I'm curious, will THE KISS be followed by immediate get-together-ness or will it be awkward kiss, complicated feelings, stay away from eachother for a while, sorta thing?

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  66. @1226 I can't begin to spoil this.

    Oh, and BY THE WAY, I totally forgot to address the "Yule Ball/Masquerade" question. LOL no. Absolutely not. Not even in a parallel universe where I was stoned.
    No, and also no.

    Good? =D

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  67. Hey, jules! does Lily's new pen pal have anything to do with the letters? :)

    /jennyfer

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  68. jules, could you give us some kind of not-too-spoilery info for the future l/j as a couple time frame? not something that gives a lot away, but just a *tiny* spoiler...just to hold us over through the angst :)

    i totally get it if you want to keep it 100% secret though

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  69. ^ No! No spoilers, Jules, please! They... *spoil* things!

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  70. @jennyfer,
    oooh good guess, but no.

    @749, Lily and James are endgame. Promise. =P

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  71. What does endgame mean?

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  72. jules you said that puppies died once carlotta got back from italy but i thought that it said she had spent her remaining days of summer holidays in italy with her fam?

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  73. She returned on the 30th/31st-ish of August.

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  74. how many chapters do you think this story will last?

    ya know, so i can prepare for doomsday and to lose all meaning to my life...

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